Wedding
by Beau2809
Summary: The long road to Charlie and fem!Harry Lyra's wedding. AU
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Wizarding world belongs completely to JK Rowling.

* * *

As the spring of 1999 dawned, Charlie woke up one morning, woken by the light shining in to his bedroom in the Burrow. It was not often that he stayed there, now, as once the war was over he had spent some of his time in Romania, some with Lyra, and he had rented a flat in London to be nearer to her, as well as to all brothers that lived or worked in London - Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for the twins and Ron, the Ministry for Percy, and Gringotts for Bill.

Ron still lived at the Burrow, staying there with their parents and Ginny, although she was still studying at Hogwarts for most of the year. Hermione spent her time drifting between her parents house and the Burrow. Although Lyra did the same, he normally stayed in London with her, and so it was uncommon for him to be back at the Burrow.

Now that Bill and Fleur lived at Shell Cottage, the room that the boys had shared from childhood was just his, now, and so it was to the sound of birdsong that Charlie woke up - alone.

The man blearily rolled over in bed, and as he looked over to the window and to the garden beyond, he suddenly realised something, and sat up in bed quickly, all traces of sleep gone.

He didn't want to sleep alone any more.

He loved Lyra.

He was in love with Lyra.

He wanted to marry her.

Those thoughts quickly led on to what would happen once she was his wife, Merlin, _his wife_, and his ears flushed as he got dressed. It wasn't until after he had departed the Burrow and had apparated to his flat that he realised something else.

He knew Lyra was proud of being a Potter. It was, after all, one of the few things she had that had been her parents'. Although Charlie loved Lyra with all his heart, and desperately wanted to marry her now that the thought was in his head, did he really want her to be a Weasley?

As he worked on some paperwork he had brought back from Romania, his mind was wandering.

If he didn't want Lyra to be a Weasley, if it meant her giving up something that had always connected her to her parents, grandparents and more distant family.. Could he be a Potter?

As Charlie thought about it more and more, the idea settled itself comfortably. He quite liked the idea of being a Potter if it made Lyra happy. He also knew that there were five other Weasleys who would pass on their surname. It wasn't necessary for him to do so as well. Not if it meant Lyra could finally have family who bore the same name.

Charlie paused in his paperwork, and dropped his quill as his mind blissfully drifted through the clouds thinking of children. _His and Lyra's children._

Charlie had made up his mind. He would propose.


	2. Chapter 2

It took him a few days to build up the courage. Eventually, as the days started getting longer, blossoms grew upon the trees and birds started building their nests, Charlie finally approached Grimmauld Place.

Lyra was spending the day with Ron and Hermione, so Charlie knew that it would just be Sirius in the house. With trepidation, he reached his destination and tapped on the door, greeting Kreacher courteously when the House Elf answered the door.

Sirius bounded down the dark stairs and grinned as he saw Charlie, inviting him into the kitchen below and looking at him curiously.

"You know Ly's at The Burrow today don't you?" He asked, handing over a Butterbeer.

Charlie nodded, his eyes nervously flickering around the room. Eventually he swallowed, and looked Sirius in the eye.

"You know I love her, don't you?"

Sirius' eyes darkened as he looked at his goddaughters boyfriend. Looking him up and down, Charlie's tense posture and the grip he was holding on the drink, he eyed Charlie and when he spoke, his voice came out as a growl.

"You're not going to tell me you've cheated on my Ly.. Are you?"

Charlie paled as he looked at the man sitting across the table, and shook his head quickly.

"No, Sirius!" He exclaimed, and letting go of his glass he linked his hands together in front of him, and leant forwards slightly, his voice shaking as he spoke.

"I was wondering.." He paused, and swallowed again, "I was wondering if I could ask your permission to propose to Lyra."

Sirius' head snapped up, and he looked at Charlie quickly.

"You want to propose?" He asked, his tone disbelieving. Charlie nodded, his previously pale face flushing under his girlfriend's godfather's gaze. There was silence, a long, drawn out silence, and Charlie eventually shifted on his seat. He never took his eyes of Sirius though, and eventually Sirius Black nodded.

"Ok" he said, quietly, "you can propose. I know you love her. But if you ever hurt her..." His voice trailed off, but Charlie quickly vowed that he would never do anything to upset Lyra, which pleased Sirius.

Sirius then asked when Charlie would propose, and although he had no plans, Charlie asked of Sirius wouldn't mind not telling anyone - he didn't want Lyra to overhear from anyone else.

Sirius grinned, and clinked his glass against Charlie's as he promised, although he paused, and summoned Kreacher.

"Did you hear that?" He asked the old House Elf, who nodded, his bulbous eyes shining in the sunlight drifting in through the small window. "I forbid you to tell Lyra.. Or anyone else in fact, you are to tell nobody that Charlie is going to propose." At seeing the slight rebellious look, Sirius added, "it's a surprise for Lyra, Charlie wants to make it special."

Charlie flushed again as the Elf turned it's gaze upon him, but Kreacher nodded, and soon passed by the men on his return to work. A sudden thought occurred to Sirius though, and as Charlie eventually made his way to depart, Sirius stopped him.

"Can I tell Remus though? And Dora?"

Charlie nodded, but requested that nobody else be told. At that last request, the two men shook hands and Charlie left, soon disappearing from view.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a few hours after Charlie had left Grimmauld Place that Sirius, in a moment of clarity prompted by the sun flooding his garden, remembered the engagement ring that James had given Lily. He had been given it his mother, who had worn it after her mother in law. Potters had worn that engagement ring for over a hundred years, and it had been crafted by some of the most respected goblins - all long since dead.

Sirius didn't know what had happened to any of Lily's jewellery, especially not the simple engagement ring that she had loved so much and had never taken off. So it was with trepidation that he approached the Lupins' cottage. For he had never thought to ask Remus what he had done with all their friends belongings. He knew some of it, he would probably know most of it, but he hadn't thought to ask about specifics like Lily's rings because ever since he had escaped from Azkaban, Lyra had been his priority, and he knew that he hadn't needed to know about the rings because there had been no cause to know.

But now Charlie was going to propose. Merlin, Sirius had never thought that he'd be old enough to have a goddaughter who had a boyfriend who was about to propose. When he had fallen in love with Lyra, when she was merely a twinkle in her mothers eye, Sirius had also never thought that he would be the one the boyfriend came to to ask for permission to marry her. Even in the furthest realms of his imagination, not once had James and Lily being dead, Lyra an orphan and left with her aunt ever been a possibility.

Sirius had always thought that it would be James that Lyra's boyfriends would ask for permission to marry her. Never him. So although the thought struck his heart and clenched it tightly, with the merest drift of memory of two of his best friends, there was also a wave of emotion, respect and relief, that Lyra had a boyfriend who respected Sirius' own position in Lyra's life enough to treat him as the father of the bride.

Bride.

Oh.

Sirius had a vision of his Lyra walking down the aisle, wearing snowy white robes, with her mothers ring adorning her finger...

His mission remembered, Sirius approached the cottage in front of him and knocked, waiting on the doorstep for either his friend or his cousin to open the door and let him in.

Cutting to the chase after greeting the couple, he turned to Remus.

"What happened to Petal's ring?"

Remus looked at him, a bemused tone colouring his voice as he answered.

"I had it placed in their vault, with everything else from their house. Why do you want to- ohh" he murmured.

Tonks looked between them, confused as Sirius nodded smugly at her husband. Her confusion was resolved when Remus next spoke.

"Charlie's going to propose?!"

"What?!" She cried, having been silent too long. "Charlie's going to propose?!"

She looked back and forth between the two men, but Remus was looking steadily at Sirius, so focusing on her cousin, Tonks cocked an eyebrow at him as she waited for him to speak.

"He asked my permission to marry her a few hours ago" Sirius explained, then added as an afterthought for Tonks' benefit "and Petal's ring was her engagement ring, Dorea had it before her, and James' grandmother had it before she did."

Remus joined the story, smiling with Sirius at the memories from long ago. "It's a tradition, I suppose it would be nice for Ly to wear her family's engagement ring. Dorea knew that her mother in law liked her when she gave her that ring, apparently she was a bit like Augusta Longbottom so Dorea was terrified when she first met her!"

"But what about the wedding rings?" Tonks asked, smiling at the stories.

"Each couple has their own." Remus responded, looking to Sirius as if to confirm his memory. Sirius nodded, a faraway look in his eye,

"Everybody's different, we'll see what Charlie and Ly decide on, but each couple - James and Lily and Dorea and Charlus and the rest of them, they always chose rings that reflected their own relationship and preferences. James and Lily had theirs engraved, James had a lily on the inside of his, and 'Wingardium Leviosa' because Charms was Lily's favourite class, and Lily had a small stag, and 'Mischief Managed' on hers, because James."

Tonks laughed, before sighing.

"They both sound so lovely, I wish I knew them both."

The faces of both men dropped, and she regretted it instantly. Remus squeezed her hand, and Sirius then divulged a story of which she had no memory - the first time she had met Ly was when she was seven years old, and Lyra was a few weeks old. Apparently the little Dora had adored the baby, and in turn, Lily had doted on her.

"You did know them" Remus murmured.

The trio sat in silence for a while, mourning the loss of dear friends together.

Eventually, Sirius took his leave, leaving behind memories that still hurt and a friend who felt as he did and longed for the days when death stepped past those you knew.

As the day waned, the man wandered into Gringotts, and formally enquired about, as godfather of Lyra Potter, the possibility of gaining access to her family vaults. Eventually, he wrangled a 'maybe' out of the goblins present and headed home. It was too late to risk going straight to Charlie's and informing him of the existence of the rings, Lyra often popped in to his flat in the evenings before heading home for dinner.

It would have to wait until tomorrow.

* * *

A/N I've decided to go with Lyra's grandparents being Dorea and Charlus, as that is the general opinion of the family tree. I added in the bit about tonks knowing Lily and James just because it seemed to fit the melancholy tone the conversation was taking.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Sirius left for Charlie's flat. He was joined by Remus, who had decided that he wanted to be part of this as well. Knocking on the door, they waited patiently until Charlie opened it.

He looked surprised, but beckoned them in.

"Hello?" He said, looking from Sirius to Remus in confusion, "is everything ok? Is Lyra ok?" He added, a small note of panic entering his voice.

Remus' calm voice reassured him that Lyra was ok, but added, "we just need to talk to you, if we can. Can we ask you something?"

Charlie nodded, and indicated that they sit.

Sirius then spoke up. "Have you bought an engagement ring yet?" He asked, looking at Charlie. Charlie shook his head, "I didn't want to get anything before you gave me permission." Both Remus and Sirius grinned at that, it was obvious just in his voice how much Charlie loved Lyra, and how much he respected both men's positions in her life. Their grins grew when Charlie then apologised to Remus for not asking him as well, but Remus just waved away his apology.

"We wanted to ask you something" Sirius said, returning to the point of their visit, "Lily wore a family engagement ring. James' mum wore it before her, and his grandma wore it before she did. We were wondering if you could.." He paused, but Charlie understood.

"If it's part of her family, then of course I will! I was a bit worried about finding a ring myself, she's too special for any old ring. I would be honoured to propose to Ly with her mum's engagement ring." His eyes softened as he thought about Lyra, and there was silence as each of the three men thought about the girl - woman, who had not only saved the Wizarding world, but had personally impacted on their own lives so much. All three of them loved her, so much.

"So where is the ring?" Charlie asked after a few minutes. Sirius looked a little awkward.

"It's in one of the Potter vaults in Gringotts. Remus knows which one, but.. Err.. We may have a little trouble getting it out as Lyra doesn't know anything. When I checked with the goblins last night, all they said was 'maybe'".

"But as Lyra's guardian, shouldn't you be able to access her vaults?" Charlie pondered.

"No" Remus sighed, "it doesn't work like that. Lyra's nearly nineteen, Sirius isn't her guardian any more, she's independent and her vaults are pretty high security now because of who she is."

"But as her previous guardian, if we explain the situation..?" Charlie asked.

"It could work.." Sirius finally answered,

"Sirius" Remus said in a low voice, "it might not. They might not accept your position as that any more."

"But it's worth a shot!" Sirius swiftly replied.

"And we could ask Bill" Remus suggested, "he could approach the goblins with us, or at least advise us on the way to approach them."

"We could ask Bill! He knows I want to propose to Ly, I had dinner with him and Fleur last night. Are you free today, to go to Gringotts? Bills working today, Ron and Hermione are with the Grangers I think? So Lyra's spending the day with Fleur."

Sirius smirked.

"Aww, the two sisters in law!" He laughed. Charlie flushed.

"Yes, we're free to go to Gringotts today" Remus interrupted, "Lyra and Fleur are spending the day just at Shell Cottage, they're not going anywhere near Diagon Alley are they?"

Charlie shook his head, and the three men left for the bank with the aim to see a ring that Charlie had never seen before, while the older two hadn't seen it for over seventeen years.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N I have invented the goblin Tarnuk entirely for my own purposes, as I thought Griphook wasn't quite what I needed. Griphook also betrayed the goblins, but before that he was only a teller and took the customers to their vaults. I needed someone who was higher up within the Gringotts hierarchy, but who wasn't overall governor of the bank. Tarnuk will now be in a position to deal with the administration of the Potter Vaults (Lyra's trust vault, the family vault, James and Lily's vault, and the sort of heirloom vault - where the ring is) as well as other vaults of the same size.

* * *

Tarnuk stared at the three wizards in front of him. The looks on their faces countered out the absurdity of their request, but even so their request had been so bizarre that the goblin had to clarify that he had understood.

"You want me" he asked, "to allow you to get into a vault that isn't the property of any of you, to withdraw an item that doesn't belong to any of you, without notifying the vault owner of an intrusion and withdrawal?"

"Yes" replied Sirius, "exactly."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that" the goblin countered, "that is thievery and betrayal and we do not allow that in these halls."

"I am Lyra's godfather, Tarnuk, please could you allow me into the vault."

"No" the goblin sneered, "the owner of the vaults that you want to steal from is an adult and as such, godfather or nay, you have no longer got access to her vaults."

Remus sighed, "Tarnuk, I was the one who placed the ring within the vault along with all the other possessions from Godric's Hollow, and all we are asking is to remove this one object from the vault."

"I will not abide thievery Mr Lupin, the Bank doesn't care who placed what in which vault, that doesn't give you the right to take it out of the vault again! The only person who can remove items from the vault is Lyra Potter!" Tarnuk snapped.

"Tarnuk.." Charlie sighed, "at least let me explain to you why I want the ring."

Tarnuk's wizened face turned to the last man. "I would imagine, Mr Weasley, that as you are not godfather or the person who placed the items in to the vault, you have even less of a claim to anything within then your 'friends' do" he sneered, "and your attempt at stealing any items belonging to a witch who has put her trust in Gringotts and the goblins to care for her wealth may lose your brother his job!"

Charlie reared back as if struck, and looked at the goblin with panic in his eyes, "please, Tarnuk, don't let this affect Bill!"

"So you admit that perhaps your actions are wrong?" The goblin slyly asked.

"No." Replied Charlie, "please let me just explain my request."

His tone was so polite, and his request so sincere that the goblin conceded, and inclined his head. Sirius and Remus both stood on either side of Charlie, allowing him to complete the request with their support if he needed it.

Charlie swallowed.

"I am Lyra Potter's boyfriend. The ring that I am requesting be withdrawn from her vaults is a family ring, an engagement ring, worn not only by her mother, but also by her grandmother and her great grandmother. I am going to propose to Lyra. Lyra does not yet know of the existence of this ring, she didn't mention it to me, I learnt of it's existence from Sirius and Remus. I would like Lyra to wear the engagement ring of her ancestors, as I know how much she wants to feel closer to them. The reason I am asking for this transaction to be done in secret is that she doesn't know I am going to propose. It's a surprise.."

Charlie trailed off, and looked at the goblin in front of him with hope in his eyes. Tarnuk sighed.

"Your request is still unreasonable at best, and thievery at worst." He turned, and left the room. Charlie looked at his companions in shock, only to find them both grinning.

"Well done Charlie!" Sirius laughed, "trust you to appeal successfully to the one goblin with a romantic side!" Charlie looked at him incredulously.

"What?" He asked. Remus grinned.

"You've never met Tarnuk before, but we have. Tarnuk does have a romantic side, and you didn't know that and even so you've managed to convince him to let you in to the vault."

"But he didn't let me in! He's just disappeared!" Charlie cried, looking at the two older men in confusion.

"You don't know Tarnuk" stated Sirius, "he's gone to try and find a way around the rules. He's on our side now, anyway."

"Really?" Asked Charlie, doubt colouring his voice.

"Yes" chuckled Remus, "but I'm not sure how he will help us now.."

The questions were soon answered when Tarnuk returned, accompanied by another goblin, with feathery white hair lining his scalp.

"Ragnok" Sirius breathed, and Charlie stopped breathing. He stood up, and the three men bowed to the small goblin. For here in front of them was Ragnok, one of the most respected, elusive goblins in the Bank. He was one of a trio of goblins that governed the Goblin Nation, and for a human to encounter him was rare.

Ragnok observed the three wizards bowing. He acknowledged their respect with an incline of his head, but otherwise didn't move. Although he commanded respect, all people present in the room knew that most humans weren't quite so respectful to goblins as they could be.

"Tarnuk has discussed the issue with me. Due to the.." He paused, trying to find the right words, "circumstances.. I find that it is acceptable to withdraw the one item that you have requested to withdraw. But only this one!" His gaze was piercing as he levelled each of the men with his stare. "You will only withdraw the one item from this vault, and I hope that you accept that withdrawing items or wealth from vaults that are the property of others is not acceptable behaviour for any of our customers. We do not allow every witch or wizard this service, or" and the goblins voice became menacing, "any thief could steal items very easily."

Tarnuk stepped forward.

"We need proof that you are all that you say you are. It would not be good for the Bank if you are imposters that are given free access to Miss Potter's vaults."

"Of course" the three men agreed respectfully, "what can we do to prove who we are to you?"

Ragnok indicated the desk, upon which were three pieces of parchment, three daggers, and a spear.

Although the uses of the parchment and daggers were obvious, Charlie didn't dare ask the reasoning of the spear.

Sirius, Remus and Charlie each lined up and gently lifted a dagger off the table, made a small cut on their palms and dripped a few drops of blood onto a piece of parchment.

Charlie's read,

_Charles Septimus Weasley_

_Twelfth day of December, the year nineteen hundred and seventy two_

_Twenty six years of age_

As he handed the parchment to Tarnuk, the casual way that Sirius and Remus were also delivering the parchments proved that they, too, had nothing to hide, emphasised by the decisive nod given by Tarnuk.

Tarnuk then turned, and indicated to the three men should follow him. They did so, bowing to Ragnok as they passed him, who followed them out before disappearing into a small dark corridor.

Tarnuk led them to a large cart which Charlie, Sirius and Remus all hopped into, and they were off, delving deeper and deeper into the realms of Gringotts, deeper than Charlie had ever been before.

* * *

A/N I'm quite fond of Tarnuk! Might use him again. I made up Charlie's middle name because jo hasn't given him one, but I took it off the Weasley family tree. I took his birthday off the Harry Potter wiki.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie had spent days thinking about just how he would propose to the woman he loved. Days thinking about how much he loved her. Days thinking about how he could hide this from the Daily Prophet and the other Wizarding media so that his family and their friends could find out before the entirety of Wizarding Britain.

Lyra was oblivious. She had spent days laughing with her two best friends, days befriending Fleur properly, days working within the Ministry. She had spent days cooing over her little godson, playing with his little feet and swinging him round her uncle's garden.

She was so focused on spending time with her friends that she hadn't noticed the odd behaviour of Sirius, Remus and Tonks. The way that they stopped themselves speaking halfway through conversations, flickered their eyes down to her left hand and subtly change the conversation. The way that they shared secret glances between themselves and Charlie. Instead, the besotted godmother would have shocked Moody if he had seen her now. His cry of 'Constant Vigilance' now silent, his catchphrase forgotten. Of course, there was no need to be so vigilant in her own home, not with a godfather, an uncle, an auror friend and a dragon fighter boyfriend all there to alert her of danger, to give her a chance of fighting. She definitely did not need to be alert with a loyal House Elf who was dangerous if Lyra was threatened. Lyra could hold her own in any fight - if Kreacher allowed her enemy to get that close. So Lyra was not aware of any different, surprising behaviour. She didn't notice a thing, which of course, was what the others were hoping for.

One day, Lyra dropped round to Charlie's before heading home like she normally did, only to find him looking serious.

"Lyra.." He said when she asked if he was ok, "I've got to go to Romania tomorrow. They've got some dragon eggs that they want me to look at. Do you want to come with me?"

She paused, and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You actually want me to come to Romania with you?"

Charlie nodded, looking bashfully at the floor. When she remained silent he looked at her anxiously, only to find that he had been worried about nothing as she threw herself into his arms.

"I've never been to Romania" she mumbled again his shoulder, "and I've never seen dragons in the wild." Her voice was filled with so much wonder and excitement that Charlie thought their impromptu holiday was a perfect way to propose - and it was out of the publics eye.

The next day, Charlie dispatched his luggage to the reserve with a wave of his wand and made his way to Grimmauld Place. There, he joined Lyra and Sirius, sent Lyra's luggage including her broom to join his own and after bidding farewell to Sirius, he took Lyra's hand and disapparated.

The pair reappeared at the gates of the corner of Romania that had been Charlie's other home for so many years. He led Lyra through, greeting the other workers and leading her to his hut on the edge of the forest.

Has this always been your hut?" Lyra asked as Charlie showed her round. He nodded, before spinning her round and pointing outside the window.

"That's why", Charlie said, as he showed her the view over the lake, and the mountain beyond, "sometimes the dragons come down to bathe. It's beautiful" he sighed. Lyra laughed, she had always known how much he loved dragons.

"Right" he said, as he led her out again, "I have to go and see these dragon eggs, I can't take you with me today, so I'll take you somewhere else first."

Lyra nodded, and as their hands twined together he took her to the centre of the little village that had sprung up in the reserve for the dragon workers. There, in a circle, were seated some women - the friends, wives and girlfriends of some of the workers.

Knowing he was leaving Lyra in capable hands, he strode off, nearly going the wrong way as he heard Lyra laughing with the others.

Later that day, Charlie returned, and took Lyra back to the hut.

"Come on!" He cried, "it's nearly sunset and I want to climb the mountain!" He grabbed the two brooms that were resting near the door and together, they flew up the mountain, passing several caves which Charlie swore the dragons roosted in. As they reached the summit, Charlie admitted that normally they'd walk but as he'd returned so late there hadn't been enough time to reach the top in time to see the sunset.

Lyra gasped as they stood on the top of the mountain. Far below her she could see the lake, glistening with the light of the setting sun. She could see dragons, both enclosed and flying freely. She could see lights from a faraway village. As she turned to see the rest of the view, her eyes fell on Charlie.

He was on one knee, a small box in his hands and his blue eyes met hers steadily.

"Lyra, would you marry me?"


	7. Chapter 7

Lyra stared at the ring, then at the man down on one knee before her looking at her with oh so much love in his eye. A tear or two escaped as she held out her trembling left hand and whispered,

"Yes"

And as the ring was placed upon her finger the man she loved stood up, and kissed her hand, placing his lips delicately over the goblin crafted ring.

As the light faded, the newly engaged couple made their way down the mountain again to the settlement, and Charlie flew down one handed as he couldn't bear to take his other arm away from Lyra's back.

It wasn't until later that night that Charlie told Lyra about her ring's history. How her mother had worn it, her grandmother, her great grandmother. She had stared at the ring then, with new respect and love in her eyes, and stroked it with her finger as if the caress brought her closer to her family. She had laughed as he recounted the tale of how he, Sirius and Remus had gained permission to remove it from her vaults, how they had won over the goblin by exploiting his romantic side. Lyra suggested then, that once they had returned - and their families knew that they were engaged, they would go to the bank and show Tarnuk that he had made the right decision and that the ring had ended up with her, as it should.

"But Sirius knew? And Remus?" Lyra was shocked, though, that her family had known that Charlie was going to propose, and had hidden it so successfully.

"Yes",Charlie said, "I asked Sirius' permission. He, Remus, Tonks, Bill and Fleur all knew"

"Fleur knew?" Asked Lyra incredulously, "I've spent days with her when Ron and Hermione have been busy and she knew?" Charlie laughed,

"You've also spent days with Sirius and Remus, who both knew, and Tonks, and they've not been entirely subtle about the way they've been behaving." Smirking, he added, "Mad-Eye would be ashamed of you!" He kissed her rosy cheeks when she blushed.

They spent four days at the reserve, four, blissful days, where they strolled about the lake, admired the dragons and watched some eggs hatch. The other dragon keepers made fun of Charlie, while Lyra's new friends within the group of women were as thrilled as she was, admiring her ring and congratulating both her and her fiancé exuberantly.

It was a perfect holiday, and Lyra was very disappointed when it ended. But she was returning to London with an engagement ring on her finger and a fiancé by her side, returning from the perfect holiday. It was peaceful, she pondered, and wondered if this was what being a normal person felt like. She'd lived almost a year without the weight of kill or be killed, without being hunted by a group of bitter adults whose sole aim in life was to bring her before Voldemort and watch her being tortured and killed. But acting as a young woman should was still a novelty.

She was sad to leave her new friends, but oh so excited to be reunited with Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Teddy. Lyra was also really looking forward to seeing Ron and Hermione again and telling them her news, and she was also aware that the Weasleys didn't know either.

So Lyra was looking forward to telling everyone that mattered that she was now engaged to be married to Charlie Weasley.

* * *

A/N next chapter will be them telling everyone and I'll start from the minute they arrive back in Grimmauld Place. This seemed like a good place to stop this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

"Sirius! Sirius!"

Sirius looked up from where he was sitting in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place and smiled, however much he and Lyra loved each other, she never normally ran in calling his name, especially not in that tone of voice. He knew, instantly, that Charlie had proposed on their holiday and he couldn't wait to see her.

"Sirius!" He heard her running seconds before she appeared before him, her bags had been left in the hall as she was empty handed, and alone as well.

"Where's Charlie?" He asked, acting normally. Lyra rolled her eyes.

"I know you knew what he was planning! And he's gone back to the flat, he thought that I'd want to see you alone and Fleur invited him over for dinner tonight as well to tell them how it went.." Sirius smiled at his considerate son in law to be. He had been longing to spend some time alone with Lyra, and for Charlie to have realised that made him even more pleased about their relationship. He couldn't stop his laughter over the thought that Charlie now had to face Fleur's questioning, as she had apparently been telling him what she considered romantic in the days since she (and Bill) had found out he was going to propose.

"So let's see it then!" Sirius said excitedly, and Lyra held out her left hand so the ring shone in the light, and Sirius' mind shuddered to a halt. It had been such a long time since he had seen the ring worn, seventeen years since he had last seen it on Lily's hand, and even longer since he had seen it on Dorea's. And now it rested elegantly on Lyra's finger, his goddaughter was wearing her family's engagement ring, and as he looked into Lyra's eyes it was like the present met the past and ohh, how he wished James and Lily could be here to see this. Sirius leaned across the table and kissed Lyra on the forehead.

"I'm so happy for you Ly..."

She smiled back at him, but her eyes filled with tears at what he said next.

"I wish Prongs and Petal could be here..."

Lyra chewed on her lip, looking at him as they sat in silence, he thinking of the past.

"Sirius..?" She asked shyly, "because they aren't here.. Could you walk me down the aisle?"

Sirius' heart stopped and he stared at her.

"You really want me to?" At her nod, he burst into tears.

"Oh Ly! I'd be honoured to!"

Lyra got up, moving round the table to hug him.

"Oh Sirius", she laughed, "you're such a big softy!"

"Look at my goddaughter, first she defeats Voldemort, then she gets engaged, now she's comforting me.. You're all grown up!" He said, in between sobs.

Lyra had to spend the rest of the night comforting her overly emotional godfather.

The next day, Lyra rose early to meet Charlie and head over to the Burrow. He arrived and after Charlie had seen Sirius, the young couple disapparated to the Weasleys' house. They emerged at the end of the lane, and, their hands entwined, approached and entered the house.

Hermione was there that day, and she and Ginny were chatting at the kitchen table with Mrs Weasley when Lyra and Charlie entered. There was silence as the women looked at the pair, before,

"Lyra!" Shrieked Hermione, who got up from the table and ran to hug her friend. "You've caught the sun! How was Romania? Oh, I've always wanted to go, you're so lucky, I wish I could go, I bet the dragons were fascinating and there is so much local history! Did you learn anything?"

Lyra had been worried that Hermione had seen the ring, but when Hermione started questioning her, Lyra winked at Charlie, who grinned back, before she reached up to pat Hermione on the back.

"Lyra, dear!" Exclaimed Mrs Weasley, while Ginny was staring in shock at her hand which Lyra had unknowingly revealed. "What have you got on your hand? Charlie!"

At the exclamation, Hermione pulled back from within Lyra's embrace and looked questioningly at Lyra and Charlie, before staring at Mrs Weasley questioningly after Charlie had winked at her.

Hermione was then politely pushed aside by Mrs Weasley who enfolded both Charlie and Lyra in her arms. When she let them go, Ginny hurtled at Charlie and threw her arms round his neck squealing "congratulations!" As she hugged him.

"Lyra! Did Charlie propose? You're engaged!" Hermione gasped as she noticed the ring, "when did this happen?!"

Lyra blushed and Charlie wrapped his arm round her waist. Bashfully, he said,

"It was in Romania, the first night."

Charlie didn't elaborate, so everyone turned to Lyra, who laughed and elaborated for them.

"It was our first night, and Charlie dragged me up this mountain on our broomsticks, and I was looking at the sun setting and the dragons flying around and the stunning view, and then I turned round and Charlie was down on one knee."

Charlie flushed as everyone sighed, before Mr Weasley entered the room with Ron.

"What's happening..?" Ron said blearily, looking at his blushing brother and best best friend. Lyra smiled,

"Ron!" She hugged him, but he just looked at the others in the room bemusedly. Mr Weasley was looking on kindly, slightly confused as well, until Mrs Weasley mouthed 'Lyra's hand' to the two. Ron gently pushed Lyra away from him - and looked at her right hand. Mr Weasley however, understood completely and got very excited, making Lyra laugh as he engulfed her in his arms.

"Lyra! Oh congratulations you two! Oh when's the wedding going to be? Are your family going to be coming? Will there be Muggles there? Oh you'll have to tell me all about muggle wedding traditions, it will be fascinating. Why isn't the groom allowed to see the bride though? And why does the bride wear white?"

Ron stared at his best friend in shock as she returned to stand by her.. Fiancé?

"You're engaged?" He asked, not noticing or perhaps ignoring Hermione rolling her eyes.

"Yes!" Replied Lyra, cheerily, as she held out her hand for the Weasleys to see. They all crowded round, exclaiming over it's beauty.

"Where did you get it from?" Asked Hermione, "it looks old."

"It was crafted by goblins in the late 1800s for Ly's great grandparents. Sirius and Remus helped me get it out of the vault."

"It's a family ring? Oh that's so sweet of you!" Exclaimed Mrs Weasley, her eyes shining as she looked at her son. "Lyra dear, you really will be one of the family! I think it's time you called us Molly and Arthur, don't you Arthur, dear?"

"Yes MollyW-" he was cut off by Mrs Weasley's interruption.

"You see, Arthur agrees! Call us Molly and Arthur from now on, dear!", a faint blush appeared on her face as she spoke.

"I'll try, Mrs- Molly" Lyra agreed shyly, only to be rewarded by another hug from Mrs Weasley and a pleased grin from Charlie.

Ron was still staring at them in shock, his gaze unblinking, his mind racing. While he knew that they were in a relationship, he still, after over two years, couldn't process the thought that Lyra, his best friend Lyra, and his older brother were now engaged to be married. He watched as Lyra instinctively stepped closer to Charlie again, and how his brother wrapped an arm round her waist. He decided then and there, that while he may never understand their relationship - his best friend and his older brother! - he would always be fully supportive. He had seen Lyra through some tough times, he knew that this last year had been awful, he knew that she'd really been miserable after seeing You-Know-Who's rebirth, how awful her childhood and then her summers were, stuck with the Dursleys. But he had never seen her as happy, as relaxed, as when she was around Charlie. His mother had also said that in the year that the trio were missing, hiking round England, Charlie had not smiled once. His cheery nature had disappeared, a smile had not crossed his face since the day of Bill's wedding, since the day Lyra (and Hermione and Ron himself) had left. Charlie's heart had left him that day, and his happiness had left with Lyra, a smile only returning to his face the day after Lyra had defeated You-Know-Who - the day that they had been reunited.

So Ron knew how important Lyra and Charlie were to each other. How much they loved each other. So while he could never fully understand their relationship.. He could not be happier for them.

Eventually, as the day ended, Lyra had to leave. Charlie had left a few hours before, leaving Lyra to spend time with her friends. Hermione, while being a bit doubtful as she thought Lyra too young to be married, was ecstatic for her friend. Ginny was over the moon, and hugged Lyra when she left. Before flooing away, Lyra had warned her new family that none of the newspapers or other Wizarding media knew of their engagement yet, so could they be careful what they said outside of the house.

After all, there were still a few people that Lyra wanted to tell first, before allowing the entirety of Wizarding Britain details of her personal life.


	9. Chapter 9

It was two, long, blissful days that Lyra and Charlie spent in the sun before the eye of the public crashed back into their lives. In their own little world where they were just a normal couple. Where there lives weren't constantly under public scrutiny. Lyra had spent some of it with her two best friends, friends who had carried her through the worst of it when there had been nobody else, and who would carry her through the rest of her life supporting her when she had need of them.

It had been with Ron and Hermione, however, that Lyra had eventually been caught. And the next morning, the fourth morning back in England, Lyra came downstairs in Grimmauld Place to be greeted by the Daily Prophet's headline.

_**GIRL WHO LOVED? **_

Panicked, Lyra looked up at Sirius who was staring at her apologetically, before she returned to the rest of the article.

_The Girl who Lived, Lyra Potter, was spotted in Diagon Alley yesterday afternoon with her two best friends - Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Our reporter saw them sitting and laughing outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, being tended to by the original owners nephew. The keen eyed among you may, as our reporter did, notice a ring on Potter's left hand. However, our reporter was not able to get close enough to talk to the Girl who Lived, as they moved off and disapparated shortly after._

_Is Lyra Potter engaged? _

_Who is the lucky man? _

_When will the Wedding be? _

_If anyone has any information, please contact the Daily Prophet. _

Lyra was furious, furious at herself for not being more careful. Furious at the Daily Prophet for not being more respectful of her privacy. Leaving her breakfast, she immediately Flooed to Charlie's flat and flung the paper down in front of him.

"They've found out" she raged, "I've tried so hard to keep it private for us.. And they've found out. I'm so sorry Charlie! They're never going to leave us alone! We won't be able to go out without them following us. I can't even go to Diagon Alley without a photographer publishing my private life! Once they find out it's true and I'm engaged to you they won't leave you alone either!"

She broke down in tears of anger, and was quickly enfolded in Charlie's arms. He soothed her slowly, holding her close as he kissed her head.

"So we give it to them" he said, slowly. Lyra looked up at him in confusion. Charlie kissed her forehead again as he explained.

"We tell them what they want to know - I'm sure Luna would be happy to publish our story. Once they know everything we could ask them to leave us alone.." Although the words were confident his tone displayed a slight doubtful edge. Lyra thought it over, but she couldn't think of a better alternative.

She pulled back, looking up at Charlie tearfully.

"My whole life has been their property, you know. When my parents died all they did was celebrate Voldemort's death. When I started at Hogwarts I was stared at constantly. When I said Voldemort was back I was ridiculed in the Prophet until Sirius was freed. Then I managed to get rid of Voldemort, with help although they don't care about that... I just wanted us to be ours. I didn't want this to be constantly discussed. I just.. Charlie, I just hoped that our engagement would be celebrated in the family. With your family and Sirius, Remus and Dora and my little Teddy and all our friends. And now they know, and we're never going to get a seconds peace!"

Charlie tilted her chin upwards so she was looking at him.

"I know, Ly" he murmured, "but you're famous and you're their heroine. They want to know all about you, cruel though that is, but Ly.. I love you. We'll face this together. For the rest of our lives."

"Oh, Charlie!" Lyra threw herself into his arms, and he wrapped them around her as the couple stood together. "We'll go and see Luna then? Get this over and done with?"

With linked hands, the couple turned to face their future.

* * *

Sorry this has taken so long! It took me a while to decide how the public would find out - through the Prophet leaking it, or through Ly and Charlie doing an interview with the Quibbler. Eventually I decided to do both.


	10. Chapter 10

Lyra Potter: The Truth?

Luna Lovegood

I was approached today by Lyra Potter and her partner, who confirmed the rumours published in the Daily Prophet. Lyra is engaged, and has agreed to share some details with me, and subsequently with you.

I can officially reveal that Lyra's fiancé is Charlie Weasley, the man she kissed the day after You-Know-Who's defeat last May. They have been in a relationship since the Christmas holidays of 1996, and Charlie proposed in Romania just over a week ago. The couple refused to release more details of the proposal itself, saying that it is personal and a memory they want for themselves.

The ring spotted on Lyra's hand is an old ring, goblin crafted and worn by her mother, grandmother and great grandmother before her. It is a family heirloom and Charlie stated he felt truly honoured to give it to her, as she often wishes she has more memories of her parents.

They were dismayed to read of the rumours concerning their engagement, requesting that their private life remain private, allowing their time as a couple to be special and not constantly watched over.

They have also acknowledged that the public feels a need to know about their relationship, and have stated that they will tell the world when they want to, but their life should be lived as a family and not, as Lyra's school years were, food for the curious and bared open to the world.

Mr Weasley has therefore requested that you allow them their privacy, and in return they will, through myself, allow you some knowledge - I will therefore be publishing a photo of their wedding day in the Quibbler when it occurs.

Mr Weasley states that a date for their bonding has not yet been set, and when it is, although I will publish the date for all to see, the wedding will be private, allowing just family and friends to witness their marriage.

Only one detail has been confirmed, and that is that Lyra's godfather, Sirius Black, and her uncle, Remus Lupin, will both be accompanying her down the aisle as her sole connection to her parents.

Although speculation about the wedding and engagement will be rife, I, personally, beseech you to give the couple space when you meet them in public, and allow them their privacy.

Thank you.

* * *

A/N The picture I have for this story in the corner is sort of what I envisage Lyra as looking like on her wedding day - I haven't gone for an overly dramatic dress, partly because of my own preferences but also because of Wizarding fashion. Lyra is also wearing a certain Goblin Tiara...


	11. Chapter 11

The day the article was published in the Quibbler, there was uproar in the Wizarding world. That the rumours had been true, was a surprise. That their heroine had requested privacy.. That was surprising, and to some, disappointing.

But to those who knew the couple - their family, friends, and those teachers at Hogwarts who the couple had made an impression on, it was just a reason to laugh. It was so like them, that it was almost a surprise to their friends that the couple had to request for respect and privacy at all.

It was such a relief for Lyra and Charlie to be open about their relationship, as they could finally begin properly planning the wedding and heading out in Diagon Alley and other Wizarding areas without being preyed upon by feasting reporters. At least now, everyone knew. It wouldn't be such a big story now, as what news could there be? Lyra didn't plan on letting anyone find out the details of her and Charlie's wedding day.

When Lyra wasn't in the company of Charlie, she spent her days with her friends. Ron and Hermione, and sometimes Luna, Ginny and Neville as well. Neville often brought along Hannah as well, so the men of the group were often outnumbered by the women.

But Lyra cherished the days when it was just her and her two best friends. The two who had stuck by her and been her family when there was nobody else. Before Sirius, before Remus, before Tonks and Teddy. They had been her first friends, and held a very special place in her heart. Although the other two were in a relationship, nothing much had changed between the three of them. They never pushed her away, just drew her in. When she spent time with Charlie, they spent time together. So the dynamics of their little trio were perfect.

Her two best friends still struggled, sometimes, to understand that she was engaged, however, especially as they were only in the beginnings of their own relationship. Sometimes there were pauses in their conversation when there hadn't been before. Sometimes Lyra caught the fleeting, nervous glimpse that Hermione sent at her ring, or the flushing of Ron's ears when they disturbed Lyra in her daydreams of the future. She couldn't help it, even if she did feel sorry for making her friend think of her and his brothers life after marriage.

While she spent days with her friends at her home and in Diagon Alley, Charlie finally worked up the courage to approach his parents. He appeared at the Burrow on one Saturday in July, when both his parents were home. They looked up curiously when he arrived, as they had expected to have the day to themselves, with each of their children off with friends or living away from the Burrow. Charlie sat down in front of them, and finally asked the question he'd been thinking about for weeks.

"Would you be ok if I changed my surname when Ly and I get married?"

His parents exchanged startled looks, this was a question neither had thought about, and definitely hadn't expected.

"Why would you want to do that?" His mother asked, her face similar to the one she wore so often before she deemed Fleur a suitable wife for her son.

Charlie looked his parents in the eye before speaking.

"Because she is the last Potter. It's something her parents gave her.. One of the few things. It means so much to her, it's something that she shares with her parents. I don't want her to be a Weasley if it means she gives up one of the few things of her parents." At his mothers frown, Charlie added "I'll change my name regardless of what you think, I'd just rather you were ok with it."

His father smiled gently but sadly at him.

"It will take some getting used to - for you as well as us. But I am so proud of you, Charlie. I will respect your decision - it's not like there's not going to anyone to pass the name Weasley down!"

"Mum?" Charlie asked, turning to face his mother. "Are you.. Are you ok if I change my name?" His mother turned to face him, tears in her eyes.

"Not really" she said, "I think Lyra should be a Weasley. You're my little boy, I thought we'd always have the same name. But you're growing up, and you're your own person.." Charlie rolled his eyes.

"I'm not ok" she finished, "I'm not ok but I will be. Lyra's gone through enough. If this is something you can do to let her have a family with the last name Potter then I will be more than happy. But it will take some time, ok?"

Charlie nodded, then impulsively hugged her.

"Thanks mum" he mumbled, "thanks dad."

They smiled at him and watched as he strode off.

"What happened to our Charlie, Arthur? In a few months Charlie Weasley won't exist." Molly turned and hugged her husband, whispering "I'll be ok, I'll be fine" over and over again as if to remind herself.


	12. Chapter 12

Lyra was relaxing in the Burrow with Ron and Hermione, them on a sofa and she was on the floor leaning against the chair opposite. It was in a brief period of silence that Lyra voiced the thought that she had been thinking about for days.

"I'm going to go and see mum and dad again."

The two on the sofa looked at her quickly, concern blossoming in their eyes. Lyra blushed and studied her feet, wrapping her arms around her legs as she waited for them to speak.

"Why?" Hermione asked, "it's been over a year and you've barely mentioned them!"

"I have mentioned them!" Lyra cried out in anger, "I have! I just.. Not to you. I think about them all the time."

Ron looked sympathetically at her. He couldn't imagine being in her situation. He couldn't imagine even being near it. He had nearly lost his dad in their 5th year, nearly lost his brother a year ago, but he still had them. Lyra had lost both her parents, and had been brought up by people who hated her. Out of he and his girlfriend, he knew that he probably understood how she was feeling better than Hermione did, who had never lost anyone, but even then, he couldn't begin to comprehend how Lyra felt.

"Then we'll come with you, won't we Ron!" Hermione said, "when are we going to go? What should we take? Will we need anything?"

"I'm going to take Charlie" Lyra replied quietly, "I think it's time he met mum and dad."

"Well when is Charlie free?" Hermione asked, "adding him in will make this a bit more complicated because I've got to go on holiday with my parents for a few days and Ron has work."

"I don't think you understand" Lyra finally said, "I'm just going to go with Charlie. We've never gone together and I've only visited them once."

"I think we should come with you!" Hermione exclaimed, but Ron finally interrupted.

"Hermione" he said, "Lyra wants to do this on her own. She probably only told us because she does tell us everything, which is more than either of us do to her. But she doesn't have to take her friends along every time she visits Godric's Hollow. It's not like she's going on her own anyway, she's taking Charlie with her."

Lyra bristled at the implication that Ron didn't want her to go alone either, but then caught the subtle glance he sent at her and relaxed. Hermione's shoulders dropped at her boyfriends words, before she looked across the room at Lyra.

"I'm sorry Ly- Lyra-" she said quietly, "I should have realised. It's not my place to insist we go with you every time you go to visit your parents." Lyra smiled tentatively at her, before Hermione continued, "I'm glad Charlie will go with you though, I think you need someone - whether it's Charlie or me or Ron or anyone else. I don't think you should be alone when you go to see them."

The trio lapsed into silence, the couple absorbed with themselves and Lyra studying the pictures filling the walls. The quiet of the house was eventually interrupted by Hermione again, who quietly asked,

"Have you never gone with Sirius?"

Lyra nodded her head, "we went once - with Uncle Remus, Tonks and Teddy, a few days after the war ended. Just to tell them" she paused, "tell them it was over." She blinked the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes away, before being enfolded in a hug by Ron, who, although he wasn't a very tactful friend, he was very good at hugs.

The friends were again, silent. But it was a comfortable silence, a silence of three people who know each other so well that they can just be quiet in each other's presence. Eventually Lyra broke the silence.

"So how's working with your brothers? Still fun?" She asked with a cheeky grin on her face. Ron sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes at her as he answered.

"Oh yes, so much fun changing colour nearly every time they offer me a drink!" He said, the sarcasm obvious in his voice. The two girls laughed, but Ron flushed.

"I don't want to join the Ministry yet, I know Kingsley said we were welcome but it still feels wrong there - it's getting better but I'd rather not start work with the Aurors or any other office until you start working there as well." He said, looking at Lyra as he finished.

She grinned at him, but said nothing. All three knew that Lyra wanted a year off before starting work - a year she had spent with her family, friends, Charlie and Teddy. Ron would have to wait until September before he could start work away from his brothers, because Lyra wasn't prepared to start work now until after she returned from her honeymoon.

* * *

A/N Sorry this has taken me so long, real life has taken over recently. Been volunteering more than ever preparing for a large event which was on Friday, so didn't have a lot of free time on my hands. I've also been working, which means my days have been cut short as well. This chapters taken a while to write and it's not really how I intended it to go.. But it's better than it has been! I thought I'd post it before I deleted it again.


	13. Chapter 13

It was a few days before Lyra broached the subject with Charlie, and so when she did it was as much a surprise to him as it was to her, as she had anticipated asking him to accompany her over dinner, or face to face. Instead, when she asked they were both at his flat, lying on his sofa together. Lyra's back was pressed against his chest, his arm wrapped around her, her head on his other arm, as they both studied the fire that lit the room.

It's crackling and popping mesmerised Lyra, who then finally spoke.

"Charlie?" She asked. She heard a "hmm?" In response as his fingers played with her hair, and she smiled into the room.

"Do you want to come with me to visit mum and dad tomorrow?" She felt his fingers still, and Lyra's heart sped up nervously as she waited for him to speak. Eventually, he spoke, his voice coming out in a whisper.

"I'd be honoured."

Lyra leant against her fiancé, feeling so utterly grateful that he was willing to spend a day with her in the graveyard of Godric's Hollow. Charlie meanwhile, lying behind Lyra's field of vision, studied the crackling flames with his eyes prickling traitorously. He had gone, once, long ago, to visit Godric's Hollow and see the site where it had happened. To see where Voldemort had been vanquished, to see the famous statue of James and Lily Potter and their heroic little daughter. But that had been years ago, long before Lyra had become a girl, a human, an adored member of their family, that time _oh so long ago_ when she had just been a valiant heroine, a legend woven through dark rooms to send little children to sleep. His parents had taken him when Ron and Ginny were still toddlers, and so Bill and Charlie were both in the younger years of Hogwarts at the time. It seemed so long ago, because now he had been out of Hogwarts for ten years, and this little heroine so admired was now his friend, his _best_ friend, his _fiancée_.

As the couple dozed in front of the fire, he contemplated the next day. He'd finally get to meet his parents in law. His dead parents in law. To be trusted with such a monumental part of Lyra's life.. His lips quirked upwards. Even though they were going to be married, he still felt so incredibly honoured and surprised that she loved him. That she wanted him to be a part of this.

The next day dawned with a crisp, clear blue sky, and as the sun rose above the ancient village nestled into the hills of the West Country, a couple stood upon the hill above and looked down on the place where it all started.

As they slowly entered the village, trod upon the ancient lanes and wended their way to the cottage where Lyra's life had begun, and her childhood had ended, Charlie looked down at her face, and seeing the stoic look in her eyes, he linked their fingers and gently squeezed her hand.

As they gazed upon the old war monument, and watched it shift, gently, into an image of Lily, James and Lyra, of the family that had been torn so long ago, Charlie couldn't help but be very conscious of the silence emanating from the witch at his side.

"Are you ok?" He murmured, concern for her etched into his face. The grip on his hand tightened, and Lyra nodded. They moved forward, past the statue, and on to the cottage where it happened. They had agreed together, that it was better for her to see that first, then go on to their graves.

The little cottage that had belonged to Lyra's parents was still as rundown as it had been when Lyra had last seen it, with Hermione by her side. Ivy climbed the walls, glass dirtied with years of grime. Sirius hadn't been able to face it when they had come together, and Remus hadn't wanted to either. He had been before, and it had broken his heart. So Lyra had never before been inside the cottage since she had left it the night her parents died.

Today, with Charlie, was the first time.

She placed her hand tentatively upon the little wooden gate, smiling as the graffitied sign sprung up. Nobody had been allowed to enter the old house since that night, but Lyra, as her parents daughter, was able to get past the boundary with no difficulty, leading Charlie in by their still linked hands.

The garden, though overgrown, had obviously once been tended to. Rose bushes lined the path, leading the couple to the door. The grey stone that covered the house was aged, with moss growing within the crevices. The roof was gentle, the gaping hole in one corner a stark contrast to the rest of the cottage. The white door opened easily, as if it had been charmed, as if it recognised Lyra and welcomed her home after her long absence.

Inside, it was as it had been the night that they had died. The small sitting room was open and friendly, wood still piled in the fireplace, the mantelpiece filled with small pictures of friends and family. Many, Lyra hadn't seen before, so with Charlie supporting her they stepped closer as she looked greedily upon these snapshots of her parents life. Proof, _proof_, that they had lived, that they _had_ loved her. Even though Sirius and Remus told her so every day, there was always a tiny part of her, the part that had grown up with the Dursleys, the part that did not know her mum and dad, that doubted it.

Eventually, once she had feasted upon memories, they moved away and explored the rest of the little cottage. The kitchen was roomier than it had looked from the outside, with wooden cabinets and a small table with a little high chair with; and they both laughed; little snitches covering the cushion upon it.

Upstairs, the floorboards creaked as the duo explored, peeking into a room that had a photo of Lyra by the bed, but otherwise was impersonal. They assumed it was her parents room, and were surprised at how plain it seemed, how simple, compared to the rooms downstairs that were so obviously filled with love.

Upon opening the wardrobe, they realised their mistake. Inside were clothes that were unmistakably Sirius', with a leather jacket, and some pyjamas as well. Lyra had forgotten that Remus had told her that Sirius had stayed so often that Lily had given up and made their small guest room his.

Across the hall was a larger room, with a double bed underneath the beams. There was a wardrobe, filled with summer dresses, muggle clothes and wizards robes, and on shelves were more photos of Lyra. Charlie quickly placed them into a bag he had brought for this purpose. He had seen the tears gathering behind Lyra's eyes and knew that they would not be able to return to this room once they left, not this time anyway.

Together, they stepped into the last bedroom. Lyra's nursery. It's creamy walls reflected the light - more now that half the ceiling had exploded. Lyra ran her finger delicately along the rim of the cot, her _mother_, her _father_, they had _touched_ this. She gave way to tears, the first of many, and buried her face into Charlie's chest, shaking with the sobs she had held back for so long. She couldn't remember them past their dying words, but she missed them.

Once her tears had dried, Charlie's arm found it's way around her waist and together they made their way downstairs, pausing only to gather the photos that Lyra wanted to take with her.

Finally, _finally_, they were done. Charlie knew they would come back, they would never be able to stay away now that she had returned, but it was time now to leave because next was their graves.


	14. Chapter 14

It was time. Charlie led Lyra out of the cottage, dispatching the bag he held as he did so. From the Potters' old cottage it was a fair stroll to the church and the graveyard beyond, with leafy trees shadowing the road that led there. Instead, as Lyra was still quite shaky, Charlie led her down a small lane that sat beside her parents cottage, a narrow stream leading the way past fields. It was a beautiful shortcut to the church, to the graves they came to see, but Lyra tuned out the sound of the birdsong and cows mooing in the distance, of dogs barking.

She had never expected her parents cottage to be so distressing for her. Sad, she had expected, but she had not anticipated their deaths to be so tangible in that place, not anticipated feeling so close to them, not anticipated eighteen years of sorrow and grief to bubble up. Lyra's entire conscience was focusing on Charlie, on the hand that she held in hers. He had supported her, allowed her to cry on him, treasured her parents memories as she did. Respected her and her grief and her mourning.

Their hands linked together, they entered the graveyard and walked around the church, following the path to her parents grave.

Finally, Lyra and Charlie were standing above her parents remains. It had been a year since she had defeated Voldemort. Since she had avenged their deaths. Since she had last visited them. She knew, now, that they were always with her. She had known since the night she had 'died', since the night she had used the resurrection stone and spoken to them.

They lay beneath her, her parents, and at the thought of their reunion, just like the last two times she had visited, she felt so immensely sad, even homesick. That they remained forever in people's memories, and yet not her own, hurt her immensely.

But here she was today, her boyfriend by her side. She had lived, the reason they had died, and now she was happy and loved by so many.

"Hi dad" she said quietly, "hi mum", she smiled a watery smile, "I've brought someone to meet you. This is Charlie, he's my fiancé. He proposed in Romania. I'm sorry you won't see us get married, or rather that you won't be at my wedding, walking me down the aisle dad..." She swallowed, blinking back tears as Charlie stood beside her, his head bowed respectfully. "Sirius and Remus are both going to walk me down the aisle. I couldn't leave either out. Teddy is going to be a part of the wedding too, of course. Teddy's doing well" she added, as if in response to a question, "he's one now, and just starting to walk. He calls me Lyly! Remus is a lovely father, after", and here she rolled her eyes, "Dora and I had to beat some sense into him."

Beside her, Charlie muffled a laugh as Lyra tapered off. She stood there in silence for a few minutes, her confident façade faltering under the presence of her parents tomb. Charlie could feel her hand trembling in his, and spoke to his parents in law in an effort to reassure her.

"Hello, Mr Potter, Mrs Potter, I'm Charlie. I'm going to marry your daughter, and like she said, I proposed in Romania - in the dragon reserve there, on top of a mountain at sunset. We've been a couple since Christmas Day 1996, the day my life got so much better" he grinned, "and she's my best friend." He paused, studying the stone in front of him, "I'm going to look after her, I promise."

Turning, he faced Lyra and took her other hand in his.

"I love you, Ly." He said quietly. Her sparkling eyes met his.

"I love you too, Charlie" she said, never looking away from his face. They stood like that for a moment, Charlie gently caressing his fiancée's thumbs. And then Lyra rushed into his arms, fitting neatly within as they embraced. They stood like that for a moment, Lyra's new life and her old one together, at last.

* * *

A/N I've managed to make some time for writing, doing this in the evening and this morning before I leave. I've been really busy this week, volunteering every day so far (today's my last though), then coming home and having an hours rest before heading off to work.


	15. Chapter 15

Later that night, when Lyra had calmed down enough to talk, Charlie finally asked the question he'd been thinking about since before they had left the little village of Godric's Hollow.

Sirius was sitting, reading, opposite the pair. They were curled up in an armchair together, relishing the last few hours before sleep called and separated them.

"Lyra?" Spoke Charlie, quietly. His voice was tender as he spoke, caressing her name as if it was the most precious thing in the world. Lyra turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue. "Do you want to get married in Godric's Hollow?"

Lyra's incredulous eyes met his, while Sirius put his book down across the room and stared at Charlie.

"Ma-married?" Lyra's voice shuddered as she answered, "in Godric's Hollow?" Charlie nodded, and wrapped his arm around Lyra's waist.

"I was thinking earlier", he said, speaking a bit louder now that he knew Sirius was also listening, "that it would be nice. Your parents could be there, Ly. Ly?" He was looking at her concernedly, and she realised that she was blinking back the tears.

"Oh Charlie", she sighed, "thank you" and a small tear escaped. Sirius was still watching Charlie, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Thank you" Sirius said quietly, his own eyes shining as well. Charlie smiled sadly at him, before resting his head on Lyra's and sitting in silence.

"Molly's not going to be too happy though.." Sirius said suddenly. Charlie nodded, looking slightly worried.

"She'll want it at the Burrow, like Bill and Fleur's was. But mum and dad will be there, wherever it is. Mr and Mrs Potter can't. This is important for Ly." He said, stubbornly. Sirius grinned at him, before shaking his head exasperatedly.

"Call them James and Lily, please! It's weird hearing 'Mr and Mrs Potter', that wasn't James and Petal, that wasn't even Charlus and Dorea!" He grinned again, "James would love it if you called him Mr Potter, but only cause you're engaged to Ly. It would make it easier for him to intimidate you" he laughed, but the sadness that was always present in his eyes when thinking about his long dead friends was still there.

The next day, Lyra, Hermione and Ginny, the bride and her two bridesmaids, gathered at the Burrow with Molly to help plan the wedding. There weren't any problems until it got to the part Lyra had been dreading.

"So Lyra, dear, I was wondering if you wanted the tent in the same place as we had it for Bill's wedding? Or we could put it at the back of the garden, I don't mind. And we should really think about how big the tent should be - how many guests are you having? Do you know? Because the size of the tent will change how it fits in the garden as well... Lyra?" Molly trailed off as she noticed Lyra flushing slightly opposite her.

"Actually, Mrs Weasley, Charlie and I are going to get married at Godric's Hollow.." Lyra looked at Molly's narrowing eyes and blushed again, her fingers studying the grooves on the table intently.

When Mrs Weasley eventually spoke, her voice was clipped.

"No, Lyra dear, my son will be married at home." Her kind words contradicted the sharp tone of voice she used, and Lyra felt awful about having to correct her.

"I'm sorry Mrs Weasley, but Charlie and I have decided that we will marry in Godric's Hollow... So my parents can be there.."

Mrs Weasley pushed back her chair, and stood up.

"I suppose this is your idea then, another way to take my son away from me! Never mind that he's going to be a Potter, now he's going to be married in another village as well?"

Lyra looked shocked,

"I- he's going to be a Potter?!"

Molly looked at her, and nodded.

"He's changing his name, so that you can feel like you have a family. I don't know why, you'd have lots of family if you only became a Weasley! As for being married in Godric's Hollow, I'd rather you didn't! You will marry from here where everything is easier!"

Lyra stood up, her eyes shining as she tried desperately to hold back the tears that were emerging. Hermione and Ginny stood up too, not fully understanding the cause of the argument but not able to sit and watch passively.

"Having our wedding in Godric's Hollow was Charlie's idea! Not mine! And as for him becoming a Potter - I didn't know anything about that!" She turned, and fled the Burrow, darting out of the house and running to where she could apparate. Hermione looked at Mrs Weasley, who stood there, eyes spitting fire at the mere thought of her son marrying away from home and retreated. Ginny smiled at her as she passed, throwing a worried look at her mother but following Hermione away to leave her mother time to calm down.

Outside of the kitchen, Ginny murmured,

"It's best to leave that argument to Charlie and Lyra I think.." The two young women smiled worriedly at each other, before heading off to find Lyra.


	16. Chapter 16

It was three days after Lyra fled the Burrow that Charlie returned to it, a fuming, furious Charlie who stood before his mother in a rage, his sapphire blue eyes icy cold towards her.

"Hello, Charlie dear" Molly Weasley said calmly, bustling around the kitchen and trying to make him feel at home, "how are you? How's work - when do you go back to Romania?" Charlie ignored her questions, instead asking some of his own.

"Do you know", his voice was cold towards her, and for the first time Molly felt intimidated by her son, "that I have not seen Lyra for four days? And when I went to find out why, I had to find out from Sirius that you had shouted at Lyra and told her that our wedding was to be here and not at Godric's Hollow?" When Molly tried to answer, Charlie continued speaking, "that Lyra didn't want to cause us to argue so didn't want to tell me why she was upset? She didn't even tell Sirius - Ginny had to! Because she didn't want to come between us! So Ginny had to tell Sirius why Lyra was upset because she refused to tell him. She refused to make you face her angry godfather. And when he found out, he tried to come over here and it took Lyra a long time to stop him. Mum, you even had _Kreacher_ threatening to come over here and kidnap you until the wedding was over!"

Molly tried to speak, but Charlie spoke again,

"And I still have not seen Lyra since the day I asked her if she wanted to get married in Godric's Hollow." Charlie's voice was quiet, controlled, and furious. His mother turned to face him fully, faltering under his icy stare.

"Mum" Charlie growled, "why did you shout at Lyra when she said we'd decided not to marry at the Burrow?"

"Oh Charlie, dear", Molly replied eventually, "the Burrow is our home. I've always thought it would be nice for all of you to marry here, Bill married Fleur here, and now you can marry Lyra here. I know she wants the wedding at Godric's Hollow, but really I think it would be better here."

"But it's not your wedding!" Charlie explained, slamming his fist down on the table. "It's not! It's ours! Mine and Lyra's! Bill and Fleur only married here because of the War and Voldemort and Lyra needed us here. Otherwise, she would have married in France! We would all have had to go to France! But we don't have that hanging over our heads any more. Lyra doesn't have to watch over her shoulder any more." He stopped and studied his mother.

"Mum.." He sighed, "it wasn't Lyra's idea to marry at Godric's Hollow. It was mine. I'm going to have all my family there. You're all going to be at my wedding wherever we have it. But Lyra's parents aren't going to be there. Lyra's only family are Sirius, Remus and Tonks, and Teddy. That's four people. Five if you include Dudley. This is the only way Lyra's parents can be at her wedding. That's why we want it in Godric's Hollow."

Charlie turned and headed out of the door, pausing only to briefly call back over his shoulder,

"We will be having it at Godric's Hollow!" Before disapparating, trying desperately to find Lyra.

Charlie had not seen Lyra in 4 very long days. Every time he went to Grimmauld place she was not there. Every time he went to the Lupin's cottage, they'd smile sadly and say they hadn't seen her. Teddy, too, had gone nearly a week without seeing her and just the merest mention of Lyra's name was enough to get his lip trembling.

Finally, though, he managed to catch Lyra at Grimmauld place. Sirius had told her that Charlie knew why she was avoiding him, and so when he entered the house, Lyra, his beautiful Lyra, was standing there.

The stress of missing her, of confronting his mother, of wedding planning, stress that had built up over weeks and stress that had built up in the four days since Lyra had gone to the Burrow overflowed, and Charlie rushed into Lyra's embrace. His face burrowed into her shoulder, his hands gripped her waist as she whispered soothing words into his ear.

"I missed you.." He eventually whispered, relinquishing her purely for his own need to look in her face. Her eyes were filled with tears as she gently stroked his cheek, while her other hand was gently caressing his. "I'm sorry mums being like this, but it's not her wedding."

"Hey", she whispered back, "it's not your fault. It feels nice that she wants us to marry at the Burrow... But I want to marry you at Godric's Hollow." Lyra took a deep breath, before the next words she spoke fell out of her mouth in her hurry to speak.

"I'm sorry I haven't seen you, I'm sorry I've avoided you! I didn't want to make you and your mum argue Charlie I didn't!"

He smiled gently down at her,

"I know" he said, "but sometimes my mum is like this and all she needs is a big argument and then she's fine. As for seeing me.. I understand. But when I was looking for you, I went to Remus and Dora's, and Teddy doesn't understand why he hasn't seen you for a week."

Lyra blushed a bright red, and looked down at her hands.

"He really missed you Ly" Charlie finally said, "and so did I."

Lyra nodded, not meeting Charlie's eyes.

"I can't believe I forgot to go and see Teddy!" She smiled, before adding softly, "I missed you too Charlie."

She looked up, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him once more. Charlie's eyes closed as they enjoyed the embrace, feeling at home for the first time in five days.


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry this has taken so long! Had a very busy few days and had to get up at 6.40 each day and was out of the house pretty much all of Saturday and Sunday. I also volunteer on Mondays and Thursdays and I work every weekday from 3.30-5.30 so time in the last few days has been limited to think about how to even start this chapter.

* * *

Charlie hadn't returned to the Burrow since he had shouted at his mother. He had rejected every Floo call, turned away from his mother if he passed her in Diagon Alley, ignored every letter delivered by Errol's failing wings. Lyra had had to revive the poor owl every time he had staggered into Charlie's flat, or sometimes into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

Eventually, getting tired of finding Errol sprawled across tables and countertops and then having to painstakingly drip water into his mouth until he revived, Lyra grabbed Charlie one afternoon nearly two weeks after his argument with his mother, and dragged him back to the Burrow.

Both of Lyra's future parents in law were there. Molly was bustling around the kitchen, but dropped everything when she saw who was in the doorway. Arthur was sitting at the table and when he heard his wife exclaim, looked up and beamed at their visitors. Lyra smiled weakly back, before dragging a reluctant Charlie in to the room and glaring at him.

"Charlie?" Arthur asked, bemused. Charlie just shrugged in response, glaring halfheartedly at Lyra. She stared back, before turning her gaze to Molly as well. Eventually, she spoke.

"We're going to sort this out!"

Arthur looked in surprise at her, as he had not been aware of the cause of the rift between his wife and second son. He had known that there was one, but not the cause. He had definitely not known that Lyra had been involved, but here she was, attempting to mend it.

Lyra briefly explained the situation, but keeping one eye on Charlie throughout her explanation. When she finished, both Charlie and Molly were shifting uncomfortably. Charlie finally spoke.

"I'm sorry mum, but you made me so angry! You'd made Ly upset, and then you tried to control our wedding.." His mother flushed, her face almost matching her fiery hair.

"And we want our wedding to be near Ly's parents grave. It's important to both of us. Because we're lucky, we haven't lost anybody. But Ly lost her parents and she didn't have anybody until she was eleven, and she didn't have Remus or Sirius until she was thirteen. And if it hadn't been for the war, we would have all had to traipse to France to go to Bill's wedding. Mum, I know you want us to get married at the Burrow, but we don't."

"But it's your home!" Molly finally exclaimed, her hands gripping the tabletop.

"Yeah.. But it's not Ly's is it! And it won't be my home for much longer! We're going to have our own life! And without the threat of Voldemort it doesn't have to be behind strong wards, it doesn't have to be here. We are free to marry anywhere we choose and we want to be married in Godric's Hollow." He finished firmly, his eyes almost challenging his mother to speak.

Finally, she conceded, bowing her head in acceptance before apologising profusely to both her son and to Lyra. The conversation continued, sometimes stilted, until Lyra and Charlie took their leave. It wasn't until they returned to Grimmauld Place, that Lyra realised something.

"Charlie?" She asked, turning to him in the kitchen.

"Hmm?"

"Where are we going to live when we get married?"

Charlie's face became serious as he stared at his fiancée. In all their conversations, in all their chats, in all their thoughts, a home had never come up. He didn't know the answer to her question. But he knew one thing.

"I don't want to stay at the flat" he said, solemnly, "I only rent it and I don't want it to be our first home."

Lyra nodded,

"Well, we don't have to have the answer now.. We can think about it and talk about it tomorrow maybe?"

Charlie agreed, but offered up the thought of living with Sirius, for at least a short while after the wedding.

"I don't want to live here though.. I love it here, but it would be too much like living with my dad." She grinned mischievously, before adding, "and your mum would hate it."

They laughed together, before turning as a sound in the shadows interrupted their conversation. Their instincts still tuned after years of fighting and looking over their shoulder, their wands were out in a flash and pointed into the recesses of the kitchen.


End file.
